The death toll from a gas explosion at a north Chinese coal mine rose steeply to 23 on Friday, as rescuers found new bodies, state media reported.
Search teams made the grim discovery of 20 more bodies as they made their way through the shaft of the Yaotou colliery in Chengcheng county, Shaanxi province, Xinhua news agency said.
Six miners were still unaccounted for as of late Friday, nearly two days after the gas blast ripped through the mine, the agency said. Only seven miners managed to escape.
The accident happened when workers were draining a blocked water passage where gas had accumulated, Xinhua said.
During the drainage process, some gas leaked and caused the explosion.
China has a dismal work safety record, with thousands of people dying every year in mines, factories and on construction sites.
Nearly 3,800 people died in Chinese coal mines last year, according to official figures. However, independent monitors say the real figure is much higher as many accidents are covered up.
